Angelo Finelli (Bologna, 1873 - 1933)
Bologna and its towers, 1917
painted and carved wood; inv. S 10
provenance: gift from the Finelli family, 1983
This model represents Bologna in the Middle Ages surrounded by walls, with its incredible number of towers, small houses with porticoes, narrow streets and canals.
It was made by Angelo Finelli, a Bolognese cobbler, who devoted many years of his life to the study of the history of Bologna.
Finelli's reconstruction derives from his readings of history books, especially the detailed study on Bologna's towers called Torri Gentilizie, written by Count Giovanni Gozzadini in the mid 19th century. The gates connecting the walled town to the countryside are clearly visible. Inside the walls, houses are crammed together, and the streets look narrow and unhealthy.
It is not very easy to locate Piazza Maggiore which, in the 13th century, did not have its present appearance.
